cliched

Cliched is an adjective used to describe language, motifs, or imagery that has become overfamiliar or unoriginal through repeated use. It is often applied to phrases, plot devices, or character types that audiences can predict because they appear frequently across media, genres, or historical periods.

Etymology: The noun cliché, from French cliché meaning a printing plate, entered English in the 19th century to denote an overused phrase or idea. The adjective forms include clichéd (with the acute accent) and the variant cliched, used primarily in American English, both conveying the sense of something that has been exhausted by repetition.

Usage: Critics and analysts label language, plots, or imagery as cliched when they rely on familiar patterns. Examples include stock phrases, predictable love triangles, or heroic arcs that resolve in familiar ways. In journalism and advertising, clichés are often avoided to maintain clarity and originality; in satire they may be employed deliberately for effect.

Subversion and limits: Clichés may persist because they convey shared cultural references; writers sometimes subvert or remix clichés to create novelty or irony. The boundary between a clichéd and a trope or convention can be fluid, and whether something is cliched can depend on context and audience expectations.

See also: cliché; trope; hackneyed; platitude; stock character; overused phrase.